Sanford Bemidji Medical Center earns AHA honor

BEMIDJI - Sanford Bemidji Medical Center has received the Mission: Lifeline’s Receiving Center Bronze Level Recognition Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks.
The award recognizes that the hospital has met nationally respected clinical guidelines for cardiac care. Each year in the United States, approximately 250,000 people have a STEMI, or ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to immediately restore blood flow, either by surgically opening the blocked vessel or by giving clot-busting medication.
The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program’s goal is to reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks, beginning with the 911 call and continuing through hospital treatment, a release said.